Canary
by awesome dt
Summary: Miku, a 17-year old cheeky girl, lives with her family in the prosperous Kingdom of Mylantis. But when she is told that she is actually the Hatsune princess Miku and her real parents were killed for the throne, she swears revenge. Under the disguise of a dancer, she enter's the palace and becomes everyone's favorite. But all hell breaks loose, when playboy Prince Len falls for her.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Your Highness" General Kamui bowed as he spoke "Our final participant has arrived. She says she can sing and dance as well." Leon tilted his head, his chin resting on his hand and with a mischievous smirk, said "All right. Send her in." "As you wish" General Kamui bowed again and left to fetch the girl. The court was abuzz. Some of the courtiers claimed to have seen the girl and gossiped that she was beautiful. Some mocked her and said no one could possibly sing, dance and be beautiful altogether.

"Are you having fun, Len?" Leon turned to his nephew on his right. "You share my carnal hunger for beautiful women, after all." "Of all the girls I've seen so far" Len drawled "Only a few have caught my interest. They're nothing special though." Li, who sat on the left of his father, rolled his eyes. He wondered how he had no interest in women when his father and cousin were such lustful perverts. Even his sister Lily was no less when it came to men and Rin was . . . . well, Rin was . . . . . Rin. Seeu seemed to be the only innocent member of their family.

The buzzing continued but as soon as the Royal court gates opened, everyone turned to have a look at the new girl. Sunlight poured in through the gates and at first, they could only make out a shadow standing in the doorway. But soon, when led by General Kamui, she entered the doorway; the palace was filled with gasps. Li's eyes widened, Leon had a look of shock on his face while Len's lips tilted into a playful smirk. She wasn't beautiful; she was phenomenally beautiful.

She walked into the court with the grace of a Persian cat and her head held high, as if she led a royal procession instead of coming for a dance performance. Her slim figure had curves at the right places and her fair skin shimmered like diamonds in the sunlight. Her long, teal hair was left open and fluttered behind her gracefully. Her sensuously full lips had a cheeky smile and her big, childish, teal eyes owned a playful glint. Her long, curved eyelashes framed her face delicately and her cheeks were red from the heat of the sun.

She wasn't dressed in anything intricate but an Indian style dance dress with a blouse that bared her midriff and a long skirt. She also wore anklets on each of her bare feet, bangles and a small, diamond-shaped pendant.

"What's your name, young girl?" Leon finally asked, as if he'd just been released by her enchanting beauty. "Miku Kasane, Your Highness" she piped cheerfully. Even her voice reminded others of the nightingale that sings during the arrival of spring. "What style of dance will you be showing us today?" "An Indian dance style known as Garba." The court started murmuring again at this unknown dance form. "Oh?" Leon asked, the smirk returning to his face "I heard you sing as well." Miku giggled and said "Yes, Your Highness."

Again, horrified gasps were heard from the courtiers. No one had the guts to giggle in front of the Emperor except his own family members. Len seemed amused by this while Li shook his head. "Well" Leon said "Begin then." "Your Highness, before I begin, I have a small request" Miku asked. "Yes?" "May I request some of my friends to enter the court? You see, the dance I'm going to perform needs drum beats."

"And what makes you think you can use instruments in your performance?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "Well" Miku replied cheekily "There were no rules stating you couldn't." The court was silenced into a tensed stillness. This girl was really VERY daring. Suddenly, Leon burst out laughing. "I have to hand it to you that you're very clever" he said, wiping a tear "Very well. You may call your 'friends." "Thank you, Your Highness!" Miku said cheerfully and whistled. Soon, three Indians entered the court, holding drum-like instruments.

"What are those?" Len asked curiously. Miku smiled and explained "They are Indian percussion instruments known as Tablas. I specially need them for the beats of my song." "Now that the instruments are here" Leon said "Shall we begin?" "Very well, Your Highness" Miku bowed.

And thus, began the dance.


	2. Chapter 1 - The girl and the prince

**~ Author's note ~**

**Hello, dear readers! This is my second fanfiction and I can never thank you guys enough for bothering to check it out! Special thanks to Zhane17, Hana Okita, BlackSakura-Chi, Ballad Rose, Rainyshine and Nate939 for their reviews, favorites and follows! And thanks to all my dear readers as well! **

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**Ch. 1 – The girl and the prince**

Mylantis; a prosperous kingdom situated to the north of the Black Bay and to the south of the Imagination Mountains. Its capital city, Derone, had a population of 70,000,000 and was a cheerful place with buzzing flea markets always full of people who bought and sold, bargained and ripped-off. Mylantis was on the verge of an Industrial Revolution. Communication machines known as mobiles and different types of vehicles – called cars, bikes etc. - which ran on sticky, black liquid called petrol were a rage in the markets. But you had to be very careful and steer clear of faulty products.

Even with new inventions coming out almost everyday, Mylantis still remembered its old traditions. Dance was very popular in the kingdom, whether it was Ballet or Salsa, Bharatnatyam or Flamenco. Mylantis was a kingdom that thrived on its cultural heritage and uniqueness of identity.

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"~Sekai de ichi-ban OHIME-SAMA

Sou iu atsukai KOKORO-ete

Yo ne?"

"You sing so well, Miku-nee!" a little girl with crimson hair in two twin-drills exclaimed happily, staring at an older girl. "Thanks, Teto!" the brunette exclaimed, giggling. "Ne, Miku-nee" Teto blinked at her with her large eyes "Will you teach me this song? What's it called?" "Sure, I'll teach you!" Miku smiled, winking at the nine-year old "The song's called 'World is Mine'. I made it one day, while relaxing by the pond." "Oh, now I remember!" Teto exclaimed "Iroha told me that Yuuma-nii-chan was calling you for fencing practice near the pond. He told you to come at 3:00 p.m. sharp."

Miku stopped hanging laundry and stared at the crimson-haired girl then at the grandfather clock then back at the girl. "Its 2:42 and you're telling me now?" Miku raised an eyebrow. Teto smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry?" And Teto looked just so cute sticking her tongue out shyly that Miku couldn't resist pulling her cheeks. "I forgive you!" Miku squealed. "Ne, stop Miku-nee!" Teto pouted. "Tell mom I'll complete the laundry later" Miku said, jumping out of the balcony. "But, Miku-nee-'' "Bye, Teto!" Miku waved, sliding down the pole.

Teto sighed as she stared at the running girl, her long, brown hair fluttering after her. "Bye, Miku-nee" she smiled.

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Miku ran through the streets, her breathing heavy and her cheeks shining due to the heat of the sun. She jumped over an apple cart, dodged a galloping horse and passed by the local blacksmith. "Where you off to, Miku?" asked Tonio, the owner of the blacksmith shop. "Fencing, practice!" Miku chirped. "Here, have an apple!" the local fruit-stall owner, Bruno, shouted throwing a juicy, red apple at her. "Thanks!" Miku grinned as she caught it and continued running. It was only when she reached her best friend's house that she stopped and knocked on the door, panting heavily.

The door was opened by a green-haired girl whose eyes widened at the sight of her panting friend. "Wa-ter" Miku choked out, falling inside the room. "Why are you in such a hurry always?" her friend asked, going inside the kitchen to fetch some water. As soon as the brunette had drunk, she piped up with energy again. "Thanks, Gumi!" she cheered "New haircut?" Gumi sighed sadly and said "Mom thought my hair was getting too frizzy so . . . . . so . . . . . . she had Ia chop it all off."

"Poor Gumi" Miku patted her shoulder "But you look better in short hair." "Yeah, I guess so" Gumi smiled sadly. Miku suddenly remembered her earlier destination and gave a loud exclaim. "I almost forgot! Bye Gumi!" she waved, rushing out the front door. "That girl is just like the wind" Gumi smiled, shaking her head.

Miku resumed running, not to be late. She knew if she was late even by a second, Yuuma would punish her thoroughly. Even thinking about his last punishment scared the daylights out of her. So she took shortcuts through backyards, fences and gardens to reach the pond. The pond was situated near the Mosaic Forest, which was rumored to be inhabited by a cult of Witches. Some people loved to wander in there to search for the Witches but if they went to deep, they never returned. So Miku had made a mental note; never enter the forest.

Soon, Miku left Derone behind and reached to the outskirts where the population was quite thin. As soon as the pond was in view, she let out an internal squeal. "Now I won't be punish-'' but before she could complete her sentence, a hit on her head made her lose her balance and fall down to the ground hard on her butt. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, rubbing her injured butt "What was that for?" "You're 8 seconds late" a deep, masculine voice said, which was only too familiar to Miku.

Yuuma Nekomura was a 19-year old young man and lived with his father and little sister Iroha who was Teto's bestie. His dad was the local tailor and Yuuma sometimes helped him out in his shop. But Yuuma's real passion was fencing and he was Miku's tutor in the art.

"Ne, you don't have to be so strict, Yuuma" Miku said as she got up, dusting her skirt. "Fencing needs discipline" Yuuma said, throwing a wooden sword at her "Which you clearly lack." Miku caught it with one hand and smiled sheepishly. "So" she asked, changing the subject "What're we gonna learn today?" "Today" Yuuma said, taking a defense position "We're gonna learn defending." "Cool!" Miku piped, raising her sword "You ready?" Yuuma slightly smirked "Whenever you are." Without a warning, Miku dashed forward to strike him but he easily dodged it.

She swiftly turned but he blocked her with his own sword. She staggered back but tried hitting him again but this time, he hit the sword out of her hands and pinned her hand behind her back. "Too slow" he breathed in her ear. Miku smirked and replied "Think again." And suddenly, she stepped on his foot which made him lose her hold on her. By the time he had regained his balance, Miku already held her sword. He growled. This time, Miku took a slight detour and ran past Yuuma's left. Yuuma turned behind in time to evade the blow coming his way.

"You may be good" he muttered "But I'm better." Miku's lips turned up into a playful grin. "Oh yeah?" she teased. And soon, they were back at war.

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"You're so beautiful, Meiko" he said in his low, husky voice that sounded like honey mixed with cream. The brunette underneath him giggled and moaned at his touch. That was Len Kagamine for you, the second prince of Mylantis and the family's carnal demon. He had taken after his uncle for that, King Leon Kagamine, the handsome, charismatic but manipulative Emperor of Mylantis. "You're so skilled Prince" the older woman purred "I can barely control myself." Len chuckled at this and spoke in his seductive voice again "You don't need to, Meiko; you can release yourself in my pleasure."

Older or younger, Len didn't care. As long as the girl was pretty and had a nice figure, he'd readily please her to death; even if she was one of the Generals in the army. "Prince!" Meiko moaned when he touched her. "Keep it low, sweetheart" he whispered, moving his hips up and down "Otherwise people are gonna talk." Meiko just nodded and clutched the bed sheets tightly. They moved in a passionate rhythm as Len bucked his hips to match with her pace. Meiko was indeed very skilled in the art of love-making, Len had to admit that. But she was no match for his internal wild beast.

As the two figures continued their passionate actions, a sudden knock on the door disrupted them. Len growled. "Who's that?" Meiko snapped, irritated at the interruption. "Get under the bed" Len ordered, jumping off her and buttoning his shirt. The brunette nodded and glided her perfect, naked body under the wooden structure. The knocking repeated. "Coming!" Len shouted, pulling on his boxers. He then quickly went over to the door, scanned the room once and opened the entrance. A young boy, with shabby blonde hair and bandages tied over one eye, stood at the door.

"Sorry to disturb, my Prince" he bowed "But today you'll have to lead the procession for the 75th anniversary of the palace." "What's the matter with uncle?" Len grumbled, not at all pleased with the idea. "His Highness has some important papers to sign which is gonna keep him occupied the whole day." "And Li?" Len asked, glancing at his room through the corner of his eye. _Stay hidden, Meiko, _he prayed. "Prince Li has gone off for his boards" Oliver said, glancing at the room. He had certainly noticed Len's gaze.

"Are you sure no one else can go?" Len looked at the blonde servant with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry my Prince" Oliver sadly smiled "But you're the only one free and the procession is really important." After a few moments of silence, Len gave out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll go." Oliver beamed and said "Thank you, my Prince. I'll inform the King. And please be ready by 4:00 p.m." Len looked at the clock in his room. He still had about an hour left. "Whatever" Len shrugged, shutting his door. But he did not return to the bed after that; he put his ear against the wooden frame to hear Oliver's footsteps fading. Only after the servant's footsteps had altogether disappeared, he called out his lover.

"What was that now?" the brunette asked standing up, her hands on her curvaceous hips and her perfect body on full display. "I gotta lead the procession today" he said, unbuttoning his shirt again "Leon's sick." "You're gonna go?" Meiko asked sadly, leaning on his toned chest and looking at him with her puppy dog face. "Later on, yes" Len said, smirking "But right now; I'm all yours."

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"I'm so tired!" Miku exclaimed, falling back on the grass with her arms and legs spread out. "You did well today" Yuuma said, sheathing his wooden swords. He lay down on the grass next to Miku and stared at her. "What?" Miku asked, blinking up at him with her teal eyes. "N-Nothing" he blushed and broke his gaze to face the other way. Miku smirked and whispered in his ear "Ne Yuuma-kun, are you getting a crush on me?" "Shut up, you idiot!" he exclaimed, punching her head. "Ouch!" she pouted, anime-tears appearing in her eyes "You're so mean." Yuuma blushed again and sat up. After a moment of silence, the pinkette spoke up.

"Are you gonna see the procession today?" he asked his brunette companion, who had almost dozed off. "Procession?" Miku asked, rubbing her eye "I don't know anything about that." Yuuma sighed. Miku was such a clueless person. "Today's the 75th anniversary of the Royal Palace idiot." Miku's eyes opened wide. "It's been 75 years since the palace was made?" she gasped "Boy, it looks as new as ever." "Of course" Yuuma said "You know how passionate King Leon is about beauty. He keeps the Palace well-maintained." Miku slowly nodded. She then stood up with a start and cheerily exclaimed "Let's go see the procession then!"

"Hey wait!" Yuuma shouted, as Miku started running. The brunette turned around only for a moment, stuck her tongue out and continued running. It wasn't long before Yuuma had completely lost her. "Jeez" he panted "I may be better at fencing but that girl sure is a fast runner."

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The crowd was heavy on the streets today. Even the crippled and the old had come out to watch the royal procession that happened only once every 25 years. The procession was very special; one of the grandest occasions in Mylantis. There were imported elephants from India and handsome Arabian horses, loads of big and beautiful carriages with daring performers and even more gorgeous dancers. Many food stalls had opened by the roadside so that the tired spectators could grab a bite when hungry. Lights adorned every shop and house and even the street lamps dazzled in pretty colors.

Miku pushed and shoved her way through the crowd, to find her house which seemed to have been lost in the mass of people. She knew that if she didn't take Teto, the small girl would claw her eyes out. So after apologizing a million times to unknown, rude people she managed to find the 'Kasane Bakery' and rushed inside. The bell hung over the door chimed and the crimson-haired girl crashed into Miku. "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" she pulled on her older sister's arm, almost yanking it off. "Calm down, twin-drills" Miku said, ruffling the girl's hair. "She's been whining to go as soon as she remembered the date" a black-haired woman entered the room, patting Teto's head.

"I forgot you know!" Teto exclaimed, her eyes as wide as saucers "I mean, how could I forget such an important day?!" "Don't worry, I forgot too" Miku smiled sheepishly. The black-haired woman giggled. "Are the kids here Mizki?" asked a red-haired man as he entered, carrying a basket-full of freshly baked, crunchy baguettes. "That smells delicious!" Miku squealed, her mouth-watering. Teto was about to steal one when Mizki slapped her hand away. "Teto" she said sternly "These are for sale. There are new ones for you inside." Teto was about to rush into the kitchen when she felt someone grab her collar. "Later, Teto" said Miku, dragging the girl outside "Or we'll miss the procession!"

As Miku dragged a pouty Teto away, Mizki waved at her daughters. "Hasn't Miku become so lovely?" Mizki smiled fondly after they'd left. "Yeah" Ted agreed, arranging the bread "And her eighteenth birthday's day after tomorrow." Mizki's expression faltered at the news. "Are we gonna tell her then, Ted?" Ted looked at his wife squarely in the face. Even through his glasses, Mizki could see a look of determination in those crimson eyes. "We have to Mizki; it's time."

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Fireworks lit up the evening sky, illuminating the whole town in a shroud of colorful smoke. The procession had reached the main street, thousands gathered to watch the magnificent show. Len sat in his elephant bored to death, his chin resting on his hand and a sarcastic look on his face while his twin and cousins giggled beside him. "The view is so great!" Seeu exclaimed, her long, curly, pale blonde hair flowing gently. "Isn't that guy so handsome?" Lily smirked, licking her lips hungrily. "N-Nee-chan!" See exclaimed, angry and blushing "Don't say that!" "But what _have _I said, my dear sister?" Lily teased.

"Ne" Rin turned to her twin brother, a mischievous smile on her face "What do you say we throw these eggs on the people down there?" Everyone had shocked expressions as Rin pulled out a bag off round, white eggs. "Rin!" Seeu exclaimed, horrified while Len just glared at her. "If you're ready to be grounded for a whole month" Len snapped "Then do as you please." Rin's smile turned into a scowl and she 'huffed', looking away. Len gave out a tired sigh. _What have I gotten myself into?_

On the other side of the crowd, two girls pushed through the crowd, trying to have a clearer view of the procession. It didn't help that both of them were quite short. "Excuse me – please move aside – thank you! – I'm so sorry – Um, no, this isn't my lipstick – Watch it!" After pushing through a cluster of humans, Miku and Teto finally reached the boundary line of the procession. They arched their heads to look behind and were extremely delighted with what they saw. A huge, grey elephant – that they'd read about only in school – was coming their way. It was magnificently dressed and on top off it, they saw a group of four blonde teens.

"Nee-chan" Teto tugged on Miku's sleeve "Who're they? And how can they sit up there?" Miku stared at them, unable to answer. "Uh, I don't know?" she shrugged. "They're the children of the Kagamine family; Prince Len Kagamine, his twin sister Princess Rin Kagamine, the eldest child of His Highness, Princess Lily Kagamine and the youngest child of the King, Princess Seeu Kagamine." Miku turned, awed, to see who the owner of the voice was. She saw a dark blue-haired man, who only seemed a few years older than her, smiling at them.

"Um, thanks?" she responded, confused as to what she should say. "How do you know them so well, Mister?" Teto asked the stranger curiously. "Well" his smile grew gentler "Let's just say, I know them personally." Suddenly, there was a huge crowd surge and Miku gripped Teto's hand, afraid to lose her. She fought to stay in her place and feared of falling down and getting trampled but the crowd cleared as suddenly as it had started. When Miku turned to look at the blue-haired man again, he was gone. "That's strange. Where did he-'' "Nee-chan, look!" Teto exclaimed excitedly, pointing at something. When Miku turned sharply ahead, she felt her breath slipping away from her. There, right in front of them, stood the magnificent creature.

Miku awed at its beauty, her lush teal orbs widening at its size. She had never seen anything so magnificent before. It cocked a gentle eye at her and she felt the urge to stroke its huge, white teeth their teacher called tusks but held back. But the elephant seemed to nod in consent so she obliged. Her hand stroked the smooth, white tusk and when she looked up; she saw strange warmth in its eyes. Soon, the elephant moved forward, ready to meet its other spectators. Miku stood still, amazed at what she'd done. She'd touched an elephant! "Teto, did you see what I did?" Miku asked, turning to the girl. "You touched it!" Teto exclaimed joyously, bouncing up and down. "Yes I did!" Miku laughed, proud of herself.

"Let's go home now" she told the little girl. "But I wanna see more!" Teto whined. "No, Teto it's too lat-'' "Dear citizens, please keep some silence!" a voice crackled on a mega-phone, an invention that had come into the market three years ago. It was a machine which increased the volume of one's voice. A familiar young man appeared on one of the carriages. Miku recognized him. He was Matsudaippoyo, or more popularly Matsuda, the Palace jester. He was a very funny man and Miku had been to many of his shows. But all his jokes had a hidden, wisdom-imparting meaning.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and foes; a very good evening to all of you!" he greeted cheerfully. The crowd cheered in reply, Miku and Teto screaming as loud as they could. "As some of you may know" he continued after the noise had subsided "During every procession, we have the Apple Event and the winner gets a reward of a 1000 gold coins." "What's the Apple Event?" Teto whispered. "I don't know" Miku shrugged.

As if Matsuda had heard them, he added "For those who don't know, the Apple Event is a game in which a golden apple will be tied to the back of a deer and the animal will be left in the open. The person who steals the apple first wins!" Everyone nodded excitedly. "Oh" Teto drawled "So that's it." "However, this year" Matsuda had a mischievous glint in his eyes "Along with the reward, the winner also gets a kiss from a member of the Royal family!" The crowd was abuzz with excitement as they 'oohed' and 'aahed.' "Silence, please" he cleared his throat and everyone immediately shut up.

"The rules are few:

Participants MUST be in the age-group 13 to 25.

Participants cannot use any weapon or tool.

Participants cannot harm the deer.

Participants cannot go out of the arena."

Everyone whispered among themselves about the Event. "Miku-nee, you have to take part!" Teto cheered. "Me?" Miku pointed to herself "In this?" Teto nodded vigorously and said "You're the fastest runner in Derone and everybody knows that!" Miku was about to deny the fact when she heard whispers stating who would be the winner; and that was herself. She was filled with immense confidence so she declared "All right Teto, I'll join!" There were loud murmurs from the crowd. "She's DEFINITELY going to win." "I've never seen anyone run as fast as her." "What's the use of taking part now? Let's just watch." Though she felt a little embarrassed, she didn't show any of it.

As Miku got in line, a realization hit her. "Wait" she wondered aloud "Where will the competition take place?" As if to answer her question, twelve of the huge carriages joined together, their roofs protruding inside them to create a giant, circular field which had a cage in the middle. A huge, golden-brown stag, with hulking antlers stood inside, looking ready to pound anyone to death who came near it.

Miku paled. "How am I supposed to steal an apple from _that_?"


	3. Chapter 2 - At First Sight

**~ Author's Note ~**

**Hell, dear readers! I'm so, so, SO SORRY for the late update! You see, I had a huge writer's block and even this chapter is full of crap! Please bear with it. I promise things will get more interesting.:)**

**Special thanks to Zhane17, AngelicDevil 152, Coolkat 88, FragileDancer, Nerumi H, Rolling-Chan, Noelthevee, Hana Okita, BlackSakura-Chi, Ballad Rose, Rainyshine and Nate939 for their reviews, favorites and follows! And thanks to all my dear readers as well! **

**Ch. 2 – At First Sight**

Miku stood as still as a stone, her teal eyes fixed on the huge creature in front of her. "What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered to herself. Aside from Miku, there were at least 50 other participants. Most of them stood scared and shivering while only a few stood upright, staring the beast straight into its eyes. Miku was somewhere between the former and the latter. She was desperately trying to make plans on how to approach the beast.

Her eyes glanced over to the royal carriage, where the royal siblings sat. She now had a clear look at them; three girls and one boy. All of them had blonde hair. Two of the girls had extremely long hair, one curly and one straight. The third and youngest girl had short hair that barely reached her shoulders. The boy's hair was tied up into a tiny ponytail on the top of his head.

As Miku stood staring at them, the boy's eyes locked onto her teal ones and he winked. Miku smiled back flirtatiously. She had to agree on the fact that he was devastatingly handsome. He smirked at her and crooked a long slender finger, calling her to him. But before she could respond, the starting bell rang.

As the cage was lifted, the stag uttered a loud groan and got in an aggressive position. "Oh-" Miku started. The stag uttered a war cry and galloped towards the screaming participants. "-S**t" Miku finished, as she darted in the opposite direction. The stag was chasing some unlucky teenagers while Miku kept to the boundary. The ground had been surrounded by iron fences which Miku hadn't noticed who and when they'd been put up by.

As the ground was covered with screams and shouts, Miku noticed a girl and a boy team up to take down the stag. They were running towards the beast from the opposite directions. The girl's long, dirty blonde hair was tied in a side pony-tail and it flew after her as she rushed at the beast. The boy had silver-ish hair tied into a tiny pony-tail at the top of his head. His rippling muscles flexed as he ran. Miku sighed. She knew those two would win.

As the pair closed in on the beast, the stag stopped running and glanced at them. Then, standing still as if it was meditating, it rushed forward with a sudden surge and head-butted the boy. The boy let out a small groan but to everyone's amazement, he grabbed the antlers of the stag. To the crowd's amazement, the boy tried to stop the hulking beast even as the animal went on pushing him.

Suddenly, the forgotten blonde girl jumped on the beast from behind and held onto him tightly. The animal let out a shriek as it ran wildly in circles, the boy following it. _He's a fast runner, _Miku thought. The girl was trying to reach for the apple on the animal's back but the wild rampage of the beast had left her hanging by its side. Some of the participants were cruelly knocked out by the angry stag who was now rushing towards Miku.

"Miku-nee-chan, watch out!" the brunette heard Teto scream from the crowd and turned in time to see the animal inches from her. In a panic, the image of Yuuma rushing at her with his wooden sword flitted through her mind. With a graceful jump, Miku leaped onto the beasts back while the blonde girl fell off, either in shock or exhaustion. Quickly breaking off the apple from its ropes, she held it up for everyone to see. "I've got it!" the brunette screamed, waving the apple in the air. Everyone cheered and Miku could see Teto, Yuuma and Gumi waving frantically at her.

But that was the moment Miku should've watched out for. With a loud shriek, the animal threw Miku on the ground. But as if that wasn't enough, the stag turned around and bit the brunette's shoulder. Horrified screams emerged from the crowd but Miku was lost in her own pain. She screamed loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks like an uncontrollable waterfall. Many people rushed onto the stage and pulled the stag away. People surrounded the brunette, familiar faces most of them.

"Miku-nee-chan!" Miku heard the redhead scream and saw her sister's twin-drills in the crowd.

"Miku, Miku, are you alright?" Yuuma pushed through the crowd and scooped up Miku in his arms.

"Oh my god, she's bleeding so much!" Gumi exclaimed, horrified and clamped her hands over her mouth.

The green-haired girl was right. Blood poured out of Miku's left shoulder, covering Yuuma's black waistcoat. Yuuma ran down the stage, Gumi, Teto and few others following him where a brunette doctor rushed hurriedly towards them. Miku clutched the apple tightly in her hands. Even though she was in much pain, she knew she'd won. The sheer thought of it brought a faint smile to her lips.

As they were leaving the stage, Miku glanced back only to see the boy and girl from before staring after her, frowning.

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Len stared at the crowd gathered on the stage. Had what he seen was correct or did his eyes deceive him? Did that sexy brunette girl just get bitten by Ginger? "Oh no!" Seeu exclaimed, getting up but Lily grabbed the sleeve of her dress.

"Calm down, Seeu" the older girl said "She'll be okay."

"But Ginger bit her!" Seeu faced the other girl, her blue eyes widening with anxiety. Okay, so Len's eyes definitely did not deceive him. He stared at the spot where a huge crowd had gathered. Everyone seemed to murmur worriedly about her. Len took out his cell phone – a new invention that came out just four months ago and was a huge rage in the market – and pressed on the contact titled 'Dr. Hiyama.'

The phone rang and a western classic started playing as the ringtone. After about thirty seconds, the phone was picked up and a matured, masculine voice answered "Dr. Hiyama speaking."

"Hey there, Kiyo-kun. I need your help" Len replied.

The voice answered, a bit irate "Do you need it immediately? I'm on my way to help the brunette who got bitten by Ginger, if you were paying attention to the event."

Len's eyebrows elevated in surprise "That's the very person I want you to attend to." As he said that, his eyes travelled over to the place where the brunette was. He could see the spectacled-doctor – not far from her – pushing through the crowd to reach her.

The doctor replied in a slightly surprised voice "It's quite unusual for you to be so concerned about a stranger, Prince." Even though his voice was respectful, there was an underlying chastity.

Len chuckled but before he could say anything, Kiyoteru said "Okay, as you can see, I've reached my patient. I'll talk to you later, Prince." Soon enough, Len noticed the doctor bending over to the brunette and fixing gauze over her arm. He smiled in self-satisfaction. The doctor's words rang in his head. Seriously . . . . . . . why _was_ he so concerned about a stranger?

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Miku stared at the strange man who was tying up her arm. He met her glance and smiled warmly at her before getting back to his work. Even though her arm hurt excruciatingly, the fact that she'd won the event overshadowed her pain.

"All right" the doctor spoke, satisfied "I've put some ointment on it which should disinfect the area and heal the wound. Don't pressure your arm too much. Let it rest for a few days but I guarantee it will completely heal at the end of seven days."

"Thank you so much for your help, doctor" Gumi spoke up "How can we repay you?"

He just smiled warmly at her and said "By telling your friend to rest."

Miku quickly said "Thank you so much, Dr.-''

The brunette doctor turned back and smiled at her "-Hiyama. Kiyoteru Hiyama."

Before Miku could respond, however, a familiar person came up to her. "And here we have our winner" Matsuda shouted, raising her good hand "Ms. Miku Kasane!"

The whole crowd erupted in cheers and screams and showers and bouquets of flowers were thrown at Miku. The people began chanting her name as if it was a prayer and Miku waved at the crowd with her good hand. As she was led on stage, she saw Gumi and Teto waving excitedly at her. Yuuma gave her thumbs up with a satisfied smirk on his face. She waved at them before climbing on the stage to receive her reward.

As she turned around, what she saw left her gaping. The members of the royal family were walking towards her. The curly-haired girl was holding a crown while the straight-haired one held a golden purse. The other two trailed behind, the boy's beautiful cerulean eyes locked on her. Now only if Miku could remember their names.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kasane, on winning the tournament" the curly-haired one smiled at her, putting the golden crown on top of her head. It was as heavy as it was beautiful with a large, red ruby in the center. Miku bowed just as her mom had taught her.

"Here's your reward, kiddo" the straight-haired girl winked at her as she handed the purse "Quite a show you put on there."

Miku giggled before bowing "Thank you, Princess. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Next, the short-haired girl came up to her and gave her a box with the picture of a strange device on the cover – a device Miku thought she'd get only in her dreams. "As a token for your bravery" the petite blonde chirped "We present you with this cell phone set on behalf of the Royal family."

"Thank you so much, Princess" Miku gasped as she received her gift "I never thought I'd ever get this."

Rin chuckled as she walked away. Lastly, the Prince walked up to her, a mischievous glint in his eyes and his lips turned up into a seductive smirk.

"Alas" he said dramatically "I have nothing to give you. Well, except, this."

Saying so, he bent over and touched her red cheeks with his soft lips. Miku let out a low giggle as the crowd 'oohed' and 'aahed' into glory.

As the Prince pulled away, Matsuda walked up to the elated girl, who had now forgotten all about her injured arm. "Let's have another 'bout of applause for the gorgeous winner of our Apple Event, Ms. Miku Kasane!"

Miku slightly blushed at the comment and with her head held high and a big smile on her face, she looked straight ahead as the crowd cheered for her.

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"Oh my God, Miku" Mizki exclaimed, horrified "What happened to your arm?!"

After Miku's victory celebration, Miku, Yuuma, Teto and Gumi had come to the Kasane Bakery.

"You know what, mama" Teto bobbed up and down excitedly with sparkly eyes "Miku-nee-chan won the Apple event!"

"And got bitten by a stag in the process" Yuuma commented sarcastically.

Mizki's eyes widened as huge as saucers as she stuttered "H-How?!"

Yuuma and Teto explained the events to the shocked woman turn by turn while Miku just stood there, anxious about her mom's reaction. Mizki was very over-protective of both her daughters and the whole of Derone knew it. Once, Teto's classmate, a naughty boy named Lui Hibiki had pulled on her twin-drills and shouted "Horse-tail! Horse-tail!" Teto had gone home wailing and when Mizki came to know about it, she had the boy terrified. No one knew what she did but Lui had grown so respectful of Teto that he had started calling her "Teto-_san_."

Mizki slowly turned her head to a cowering Miku, the formers black bangs shadowing her eyes. The other three present in the room retreated to a corner in the room, the girl's hidden behind a visibly shaking Yuuma. But instead of scolding or beating Miku, Mizki tightly hugged her daughter.

"M-Mom?" Miku whispered in a small voice, shocked by her mother's actions.

"Why did you have to do that?" Mizki quivered "Why did you do that, Miku? Answer me." Mizki pulled away and looked at Miku straight in the eyes. The latter saw motherly anxiety in those warm red eyes.

"Do you know how dangerous what you did was? You could've lost your life, Miku! And look-look at you arm" Mizki gestured to the brunette's wounded limb, tears forming in the corner of her eyes "Look what happened. Why did you do all that, Miku? Just for a 1000 gold coins?"

"And a cell phone" Gumi whispered, almost inaudibly.

"_And_ a kiss from Prince Len" Teto followed suit.

"Not to forget the gold tiara" Yuuma remarked.

Mizki gave them a short glare, which was enough to shut the three up. "Promise me" she hugged Miku "That you'll never risk your life again."

"I promise, mom" Miku said, almost breaking up herself.

Gumi, Teto and Yuuma watched the mother-daughter moment with soft expressions. Teto couldn't take it anymore and ran to them, screaming "I wanna hug too!"

"Of course, dear" Mizki giggled "You are my youngest daughter after all." Then turning to the other two, standing there awkwardly "What are you staring for? Aren't you family as well?"

And so, in the end, everyone had a big group hug. They were broken off only when Ted walked in and clearing his throat, announced "Anyone hungry?"

"Me!" the four kids cheered, raising their hands straight up in the air.

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"I feel so tired" Lily yawned, sleepy tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Seeu and Rin had already huddled together and fallen asleep in a corner of the royal carriage while Len stared out of the window, the pale moonlight illuminating his handsome face. After the end of the celebrations, they were making their way back to the palace.

Lily tilted her head, staring at her younger cousin. When the blonde boy gave a deep sigh, she blurted out "What you thinking 'bout, Lenny?"

The blonde boy slowly turned his head to look at her, a wry smile forming on his face. "Tell me, Lil" he spoke in a sleepy yet seductive voice "What is the best way to relax after a tiring day?"

"Having sex?" Lily shrugged as if it was normal.

Len nodded knowingly, expecting such an answer from his cousin. "There's your answer." Normal people would sleep, but for those two Kagamine cousins, their carnal desires overshadowed their sloth ones.

Lily gave a short laugh but clamped her mouth when she saw Rin stir. Thankfully, the tiny blonde dozed off again, breathing heavily.

"You're sick, cousin" Lily sneered.

Len smirked even more at that "Like brother, like sister, dear _nee-san." _He knew how much it unnerved Lily when someone called her _older sister_.

"Eww, don't call me that" she said, putting on a disgusted expression. "I feel old."

"Well" Len glanced at his sleeping sisters "You _are _21. You're getting on."

Lily pouted and looked away, turning her gaze outside the window. After a moment of silence, she said again "Hey, Len, when do you think I'll get married?"

Len almost had a heart attack. "Marriage?" he choked out "When did you become so practical, Lily?"

She sighed, her eyelashes fluttering close. "It was just a thought."

Len chuckled. "Who do you plan on getting married to, anyway?" he smirked "Dr. Hiyama?"

And Len laughed out softly, thinking it was only a joke. But, however, he didn't know how true his words were.


End file.
